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X-Ray Photo Effect

Make a radiographic photo plate

The effect inverts luminance so dark source regions become bright, then adds local edge measurements to emphasize boundaries. Cyan tint maps the result toward a blue plate, while Bloom spreads broad tonal differences around bright structures.

Plate density sets the base negative exposure. Edge detail works on small differences and may reveal JPEG artifacts at high values. Bloom is broader and suits portraits, translucent objects, and layered shapes.

Why radiographs look this way

A real radiograph is a negative: dense material blocks the beam and leaves the film unexposed, so bone prints bright and air prints dark. The blue cast comes from the tinted film base that radiology used for decades to ease reading on lightboxes. Inverted luminance plus cyan mapping reproduces both conventions, which is why the result reads instantly as “X-ray” even though no radiation was involved.

Example: botanical plate

Backlit or high-contrast shots of leaves and flowers make the strongest plates. Photograph the plant against a bright window, then set Plate density near 75 so the veins invert into bright channels, Edge detail around 60 to draw their structure, and Bloom near 20. The translucent tissue produces the layered density gradients a real specimen radiograph would show.

Hands, electronics, and shells respond the same way: anything whose silhouette hints at an interior gives the inversion something to reveal.

Photographic effect only

An ordinary photograph records reflected light from visible surfaces. Inverting and outlining it cannot reproduce an X-ray capture or reveal hidden anatomy. Treat the result as a stylized negative for posters, album art, or interface graphics, never as diagnostic imagery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Upload JPEG, PNG, or WebP. The download keeps the original format of the source file.

No. It is a photographic color and edge effect and cannot reveal structures hidden inside an object or body.

It controls the strength of inverted luminance before blue tint and edge detail are added.

The effect inverts luminance, so the darkest source regions become the brightest plate regions. Dense, dark subjects read as the most radiopaque material.

A soft spread of light around bright structures, similar to how film plates scatter exposure. It suits portraits and translucent objects; Edge detail handles fine boundaries instead.

It amplifies small local differences, and JPEG compression stores those regions as 8-pixel blocks. Use a lightly compressed source or keep the control lower.

Objects with layered internal structure that shows in silhouette: leaves, flowers, electronics, shells, and hands against bright light. Flat, evenly lit scenes produce a plain blue negative.

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